1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electronic settlement system and, more particularly, an electronic settlement system using prepaid type electronic money suitable for a settlement of a low price.
2. Related Background Art
A site for making a sale of digital contents such as distribution of music or an image on the Internet has appeared. According to such digital contents, a settlement money amount of one transaction is often small, for example, a settlement money amount of one download is equal to 200 yen. As settlement means on the Internet, there is an Internet debit settlement for making a real-time settlement on the Internet. However, according to such an Internet debit settlement, for example, as commission for one transaction below a certain transaction money amount, since a predetermined minimum charge is fixedly applied irrespective of the transaction money amount, it is unsuitable for goods of a low price.
Prepaid type electronic money which can be used in place of cash is used for settlement on the Internet. The prepaid type electronic money is, for example, a card of a certain money amount having a specific number (scratch number), and such a card is sold at a specific sale shop. The user purchases such a card and enters the scratch number as an identification number allocated to the card at the time of settlement on the Internet, thereby making a real-time settlement that is equivalent to payment by cash.
As mentioned above, at a virtual shop on the Internet, in case of the Internet debit settlement as its settlement method, it is difficult to handle goods of a low price because of the predetermined minimum charge of the commission. Even the settlement method by the prepaid type electronic money is not satisfactory in terms of a commission rate. This is because the commission rate of the prepaid type electronic money company cannot be suppressed due to an intermediate margin which is caused when the prepaid type electronic money is sold at a specific sale shop, a transport cost, a management cost for assuring security, or the like.
Also to the user side, since a degree of freedom of selection of goods is small because goods of a low price is not handled at the virtual shop or the like, the user hardly has strong desire to purchase many goods at the virtual shop. Further, even if the user wants to use the prepaid type electronic money on the Internet, he has to visit the specific sale shop, so that it is a very inconvenient method.